PLDT Home Fibr turned back Marinerang Pilipina, 25-21, 25-20, 18-25, 25-14, for its second straight win in the Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference yesterday at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

Grethcel Soltones had a strong start and a stronger finish as the Power Hitters kept the Lady Skippers winless in this prestigious women’s club tourney bankrolled by Team Rebel Sports, SOGO, Eurotel, PCSO, Cocolife, UCPB Gen, Mueller, Senoh, Asics, Bizooku and One Sport.

Soltones, former San Sebastian College star delivered 19 kills and two blocks for a 19-point performance for the Power Hitters who joined idle Generika-Ayala at the third spot with a 2-1 win-loss slate.

Aside from Soltones who also had 12 digs and 10 excellent receptions, Aiko Urdas was also impressive with 15 points while setter Jasmine Nabor did a marvelous job controlling the tempo with 21 excellent sets.

Despite the victory, PLDT head coach Roger Gorayeb wasn’t satisfied.

“It seems that they are out of focus. That’s not the game I wanted to see after months of practice and a year of togetherness” Gorayeb said.

“There’s no steam, we’re lacking of intensity. I’m thankful for the win but they always need a wake-up call before picking up a victory.”

The Power Hitters lost steam in the third set that allowed the Lady Skippers to extend the match.

But PLDT caught fire in the fourth set with a 15-5 start off an ace from Joyce Sta. Rita before Soltones buckled down to work, delivering four straight points that put them at match point, 24-13.

Judith Abil saved a point but she committed a crucial service error.

Abil had an all-around effort with 11 points laced with 19 digs and 17 excellent receptions while Chiara Permentilla delivered 10 points on top of 11 digs off the bench for Marinerang Pilipina, which suffered its fourth straight loss.

Meanwhile, Cignal bucked a slow start before taking down Sta. Lucia, 25-27, 25-22, 25-10, 25-21, to kick off its campaign on a high note in the second game.

The HD Spikers made a rousing debut with new setter Alohi Robins-Hardy putting up 18 excellent sets and unleashed 12 points from seven kills, three aces and two blocks.

“We’re a bit sluggish, but I’m so happy that somehow we pulled it off,” said RC Cola-Army coach Kungfu Reyes. “We lost our coverage in the third set. We also lost the power on our spikes. That’s why in the fourth, I told them to recover. Attack Jaja (Santiago) as much as we can to make it difficult for her to execute.”

EJ Laure starred with 16 kills to finish with 18 points while Santiago chipped in 16 markers for Foton, which absorbed its third setback in five games.

“I think our jelling and familiarity with each other played a major role in this win,” said F2 Logistics coach Ramil de Jesus, referring to their fluid chemistry that also led De La Salle University to the UAAP women’s volleyball crown. “Foton looked tentative at the start, so we jumped the gun and took advantage of that. But still, we have a lot of work to do,” said de Jesus, whose wards will be spending the long break in Doha to play in a series of exhibition matches. “We will use the break to fix our unforced errors and some miscommunication inside the court.”

With the win, the Lifesavers will face the winner between Cignal and Standard Insurance-Navy in the August 6 battle for 5th to 6th places on Sunday when the league rolls back to FilOil Flying V Center.

A rising star for University of Santo Tomas in the UAAP, Cortez stood tall with 16 attacks, four blocks and an ace to finish with a game-high 21 points for Generika, which has yet to lose a single match in the second round.